Flexible Display Panel Support Apparatus and Display Apparatus

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411547662.0 filed on Oct. 31, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present application relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a flexible display panel support apparatus and a display apparatus.

With the development of foldable screen technology, foldable phones have become a trending technology. OLED display screens have been widely used in foldable phones because of features of flexibility and foldability. However, a problem in which a screen body of a bent area is sank may appear on a regular flexible display screen with an increase of folding times, thereby influencing not only appearance but also display effect.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a flexible display panel support apparatus and the flexible display panel support apparatus comprises a support mechanism and a foldable housing. The housing comprises a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the second portion and the third portion are disposed at two opposite sides of the first portion respectively, and the second portion and the third portion can rotate relative to the first portion to fold or unfold the housing.

The support mechanism is disposed at an internal folding side of the housing; the support mechanism comprises a support assembly and a drive assembly that is connected to the support assembly; an orthographic projection of the support assembly on the housing is within the first portion; and the drive assembly is configured to drive the support assembly to switch to a support state in response to the unfolding motion of the housing, or the drive assembly is configured to drive the support assembly to switch to a nonsupport state in response to the folding motion of the housing.

The flexible display panel support apparatus provided in embodiments of the present application is provided with the support mechanism disposed at an internal folding side of the foldable housing. The support mechanism comprises a support assembly and a drive assembly. When the housing is unfolded, the drive assembly is configured to drive the support assembly to switch to the support state in response to the unfolding motion of the housing, thereby supporting the bent portion of the flexible display panel and preventing the bent portion deforming. When the housing is folded, the drive assembly is configured to drive the support assembly to switch to the nonsupport state in response to the folding motion of the housing, thereby facilitating a deformation of the bent portion, preventing the support assembly from interfering with the deformation of the bent portion to damage the bent portion. In summary, the flexible display panel support apparatus provided in the present application can avoid sinking the bent portion, improve the display effect, reduce the interference with the deformation of the bent portion, and increase service life of the flexible display panel.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a display apparatus comprising a flexible display panel and the above flexible display panel support apparatus, the flexible display panel is disposed at a side of the support mechanism away from the housing, the flexible display panel comprises a bent portion, and the support portion is disposed between the bent portion and the first portion.

The display apparatus provided in embodiments of the present application is provided with the support mechanism disposed at the internal folding side of the foldable housing and the support mechanism comprises a support assembly and a drive assembly. When the housing is unfolded, the drive assembly is configured to drive the support assembly to switch to the support state in response to the unfolding motion of the housing. When the housing is folded, the drive assembly is configured to drive the support assembly to switch to the nonsupport state in response to the folding motion of the housing.

1 11 12 2 Flexible screen′; flat portion′; curved portion′; casing′; 10 1 11 111 112 113 114 12 121 1211 1212 12121 12122 12123 12124 12125 1213 122 1221 1222 1223 12231 12232 13 2 21 22 23 3 Display apparatus; flexible display panel support apparatus; housing; first portion; second portion; third portion; rotary shaft; support mechanism; support assembly; fixed shaft; support piece; shaft body; long rod body; short rod body; intermediate rod body; pulley; reinforcement piece; drive assembly; draw cord; guide wheel; elastic piece; first end; second end; elastic film layer; flexible display panel; bent portion; first straight portion; second straight portion; frame.

For the convenience of understanding the present application, a more comprehensive description of the present application is provided below with reference to the relevant accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms, and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided for a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of the disclosure of the present application.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present application belongs. The terms used in the description of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, but are not intended to limit the present application. The term “and/or” used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more relevant listed items.

When describing positional relationships, unless otherwise specified, when one element such as a layer, film, or substrate is referred to as “on” the other element, the element may be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element between them. Further, when one layer is referred to as “below” the other layer, the layer may be directly below or there may be one or more light-emission unit between them. It can also be understood that when one layer is referred to as “between” two layers, the layer may be the only layer between the two layers, or there may be one or more light-emission unit between them.

When the terms “include”, “have”, and “comprise” described herein are used, another component may be added unless explicit limiting terms such as “only” and “composed of” are used. Unless mentioned to the contrary, the terms in singular forms may include plural forms and cannot be understood as having one.

It should be understood that although the terms “first”, “second”, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present application, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element.

It should also be understood that when an element is interpreted, although not explicitly described, the element is interpreted as including an error range, which should be within a specific acceptable deviation range determined by those skilled in the art. For example, “about”, “approximately”, or “essentially” may mean within one or more standard deviations, which are not limited here.

Furthermore, in the description, the phrase “planar distribution view” refers to an accompanying drawing when viewing a target portion from above, and the phrase “cross-sectional view” refers to an accompanying drawing when viewing a cross-section taken by vertically cutting a target portion from a side surface.

In addition, the accompanying drawings are not drawn to a 1:1 scale, and the relative dimensions of each element are only shown as an example in the accompanying drawings, not necessarily drawn to true scale.

1 FIG. 1 2 2 1 2 1 12 1 12 11 12 With the development of foldable screen technology, foldable phones have become a trending technology. OLED display screens have been widely used in foldable phones because of features of flexibility and foldability. As shown in, a flexible display apparatus in the related art comprises a flexible screen′ and a casing′. When folded, the casing′ and the flexible screen′ are folded toward inside simultaneously; when unfolded, the casing′ and the flexible screen′ are unfolded toward outside simultaneously. With an increase of folding times, there may be a sinking problem on a bent portion′ of the flexible screen′, i.e., in an unfolded state, the upper surface of the bent portion′ is lower than the upper surface of the flat portion′. As such, it not only affects the appearance, but also easily causes poor display of the bent portion′, thereby affecting the display effect.

In view of at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a flexible display panel and a display apparatus. A support mechanism is disposed at an internal folding side of the foldable housing and comprises a support assembly and a drive assembly. When the housing is unfolded, the drive assembly is configured to drive the support assembly to switch to the support state in response to the unfolding motion of the housing, thereby supporting the bent portion of the flexible display panel and preventing the bent portion from sinking. When the housing is folded, the drive assembly is configured to drive the support assembly to switch to the nonsupport state in response to the folding motion of the housing, thereby facilitating a deformation of the bent portion, preventing the support assembly from interfering the deformation of the bent portion to damage the bent portion. In summary, the present application can avoid the sinking of the bent portion, improve the display effect, reduce the interference with the deformation of the bent portion, and increase service life of the flexible display panel.

1 FIG. 1 12 11 11 111 112 113 112 113 111 112 113 111 11 In the first aspect, as shown in, embodiments of the present application provide a flexible display panel support apparatuscomprising a support mechanismand a foldable housing. The housingcomprises a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion; the second portionand the third portionare disposed at two opposite sides of the first portionrespectively; and the second portionand the third portioncan rotate relative to the first portionto fold or unfold the housing.

12 11 121 122 121 121 11 111 121 111 122 121 11 122 121 11 121 21 2 21 121 21 121 21 The support mechanismis disposed at an internal folding side of the housingand comprises a support assemblyand a drive assemblyconnected to the support assembly; an orthographic projection of the support assemblyon the housingis in the first portion, that is, at least part of the support assemblyis located over the first portion. The drive assemblydrives the support assemblyto switch to a support state in response to the unfolding motion of the housing, or the drive assemblydrives the support assemblyto switch to a nonsupport state in response to the folding motion of the housing. It can be understood that the support assemblyin the support state is contacted with a bent portionof the flexible display paneland provides a supporting force to support the bent portion; the support assemblyin the nonsupport state does not provide the supporting force to the bent portion. It should be noted that the support assemblyin the nonsupport state may be contacted with the bent portion, or not.

121 11 121 11 11 Here, the orthographic projection of the support assemblyon the housingis a projection of the support assemblyon the housingin a direction perpendicular to a plane where the housinglies.

11 11 11 11 1 2 11 1 2 When the housingis folded, the housingis folded toward one side and this side is the internal folding side of the housing. For example, the housinghas an A face and B face disposed opposite to each other, and the A face comprises an Aface and an Aface that are located at two sides of a folding area (bent area) respectively. When folded, the housingis folded toward a side where the A face is located and the Aface and the Aface are close to each other. As such, the side where the A face is located is the internal folding side, and the side where the B face is located is the external folding side.

1 12 11 12 121 122 11 122 121 11 21 2 21 11 122 121 11 21 121 21 21 1 21 21 2 The flexible display panel support apparatusprovided in embodiments of the present application is provided with the support mechanismdisposed at the internal folding side of the foldable housingand the support mechanismcomprises the support assemblyand the drive assembly. When the housingis unfolded, the drive assemblyis configured to drive the support assemblyto switch to the support state in response to the unfolding motion of the housing, thereby supporting the bent portionof the flexible display paneland preventing the bent portionfrom sinking. When the housingis folded, the drive assemblyis configured to drive the support assemblyto switch to the nonsupport state in response to the folding motion of the housing, thereby facilitating a deformation of the bent portion, preventing the support assemblyinfluencing the deformation of the bent portion, and damaging the bent portion. In summary, the flexible display panel support apparatusprovided by the present application can avoid the sinking of the bent portion, improve the display effect, reduce the interference with the deformation of the bent portion, and increase service life of the flexible display panel.

111 112 114 111 113 114 In an embodiment, the first portionand the second portionare rotatablely connected by a rotary shaft; the first portionand the third portionare rotatablely connected by the rotary shaft.

122 122 It should be noted that the drive assemblycan be an electric drive mechanism or mechanical drive mechanism relied on an external force and a drive type of the drive assemblyis not limited in embodiments of the present application.

122 11 121 11 121 In an embodiment, the drive assemblyis an electric drive mechanism; the electric drive mechanism is responded to the unfolding motion of the housingto drive the support assemblyto switch to the support state; and the electric drive mechanism is responded to the folding motion of the housingto drive the support assemblyto switch to the nonsupport state.

11 121 11 121 Specifically, the electric drive mechanism receives an unfolding signal of the housing, outputs power, and drives the support assemblyto switch to the support state; the electric drive mechanism receives a folding signal of the housing, outputs power, and drives the support assemblyto switch to the nonsupport state.

122 2 21 The drive assemblyprovided with the electric drive mechanism can provide the flexible display panelwith a supporting force relatively stable and durable, thereby having a relatively well effect of avoiding the sinking of the bent portion.

It should be noted that the electric drive mechanism can be a motor.

1 2 2 2 10 Optionally, the flexible display panel support apparatusfurther comprises a detection assembly and a control chip and the detection assembly is configured to detect a folding information and/or unfolding information of the flexible display panel. In an example, the detection assembly is a resistance detection piece; in different states (the folded state and unfolded state) of the flexible display panel, the resistance detection piece detects different resistances; and the control chip determines the state of the flexible display panelaccording to the detected resistance to control the electric drive mechanism work. It can be understood that the control chip herein can be assembled on a chip of the display apparatus.

122 121 It should be noted that when the drive assemblyis a mechanical drive mechanism, an external force is acted on the mechanical drive mechanism to make the mechanical drive mechanism work, and the support assemblyis driven to switch between the support state and nonsupport state.

2 5 FIGS.- 121 1211 1212 1211 111 1211 111 1212 1211 1212 1211 In an embodiment, as shown in, the support assemblycomprises a fixed shaftand a support piece, and the fixed shaftis fixed at a folding side of the first portion. That is, the fixed shaftis fixed at a side of the first portionclose to a folding direction. The support pieceis rotatablely disposed on the fixed shaft. In an example, the support pieceis rotatablely sleeved on the fixed shaft.

5 FIG. 1212 1212 121 11 121 11 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 As shown in, in a rotary periphery of the support piece, the support pieceis provided with a first outer diameter Dand a second outer diameter Dand the first outer diameter Dis larger than the second outer diameter D; when the support assemblyis in the support state, a direction in which the first outer diameter Dis located is parallel to a thickness direction of the housing, that is, the direction in which the first outer diameter Dis located is perpendicular to the plane where the housing lies; and when the support assemblyis in the nonsupport state, a direction in which the second outer diameter Dis located is parallel to a thickness direction of the housing, that is, the direction in which the second outer diameter Dis located is perpendicular to the plane where the housing lies.

11 11 11 2 FIG. Here, the thickness direction of the housingcan be referred as a direction perpendicular to a plane where the housingis located. In, a thickness direction of the housingis a vertical direction. It should be noted that the term “parallel” in embodiments of the present application can be absolutely parallel or approximately parallel and the term “perpendicular” can be absolutely perpendicular or approximately perpendicular.

121 The above arrangement can make the structure of the support assemblyrelatively simple, thereby not only reducing the manufacturing cost but also decreasing the assembly difficulty.

111 1211 In an embodiment, a flange (not shown) is disposed at the side of the first portionclose to the folding direction and the fixed shaftis fixed on the flange.

1211 1211 In an embodiment, a circle center (or a center point) of the first outer diameter coincides with a shaft center of the fixed shaftand a circle center (or a center point) of the second outer diameter coincides with the shaft center of the fixed shaft.

3 FIG. 1212 11 11 11 11 In an embodiment, as shown in, the support pieceis an ellipse-shaped disc. The first outer diameter is a long shaft of the ellipse-shaped disc and the second outer diameter is a short shaft of the ellipse-shaped disc. In the support state, the long shaft of the ellipse-shaped disc is perpendicular to a direction of the plane where the housingis located and the short shaft of the ellipse-shaped disc is parallel to the direction of the plane where the housingis located. In the nonsupport state, the short shaft of the ellipse-shaped disc is perpendicular to the direction of the plane where the housingis located and the long shaft of the ellipse-shaped disc is parallel to the direction of the plane where the housingis located.

1212 The support pieceprovided with the ellipse-shaped disc allows to a relatively strong structural strength, which is beneficial to increasing service life.

4 FIG. 1212 12121 12122 12123 12121 1211 12121 1211 12122 12121 12122 12123 12121 12123 12122 12123 12122 12123 In an embodiment, as shown in, the support piececomprises a shaft body, two long rod bodies, and two short rod bodies. The shaft bodyis rotatablely sleeved on the fixed shaft, i.e., the shaft bodycan rotate relative to the fixed shaft. Two long rod bodiesare disposed at two opposite sides of the shaft body. Specifically, straight lines where shaft center lines of two long rod bodiesare located coincide or approximately coincide with each other. Two short rod bodiesare disposed at two opposite sides of the shaft body. Specifically, straight lines where shaft center lines of two short rod bodiesare located coincide or approximately coincide with each other. The length of the long rod bodyis larger than the length of the short rod body. It can be understood that the first outer diameter is a distance between respective ends of two long rod bodiesthat are away from each other, and the second outer diameter is a distance between respective ends of two short rod bodiesthat are away from each other.

12122 12123 12121 12121 12122 12123 12122 12123 12122 12123 12122 12123 In an embodiment, two long rod bodiesand two short rod bodiesare disposed alternately and evenly along a circumferential direction (i.e., a cyclic direction) of the shaft body. Specifically, along a clockwise (or anticlockwise) direction of the shaft body, the rod bodies are arranged sequentially in the following order: long rod body, short rod body, long rod body, short rod body. Under a condition that the long rod bodyand the short rod bodyare adjacent, an angle between shaft center lines of the long rod bodyand the short rod bodyare 90 degrees.

12122 12123 12121 1212 1212 121 12121 1212 121 12121 1212 The above arrangement allows a circumferential distribution of the long rod bodiesand the short rod bodieson the shaft bodyto be relatively even, thereby allowing the support pieceto be relatively symmetric in structure and facilitating the rotation of the support piece. It can be understood that when the support assemblyswitches from the nonsupport state to the support state, the shaft bodyof the support piecerotates 90 degrees in clockwise or anticlockwise; and when the support assemblyswitches from the support state to the nonsupport state, the shaft bodyof the support piecerotates 90 degrees in clockwise or anticlockwise.

1212 12124 12124 12122 12124 12123 12121 12124 12122 12123 In an embodiment, the support piecefurther comprises an intermediate rod body. The length of the intermediate rod bodyis smaller than the length of the long rod bodyand the length of the intermediate rod bodyis larger than the length of the long rod body. Along the circumferential direction of the shaft body, at least one intermediate rod bodyare disposed between the long rod bodyand the short rod body.

12122 21 2 12124 21 2 21 12124 21 2 2 12122 21 2 2 12124 21 2 2 As such, in the process of switching from the support state to the nonsupport state, after the long rod bodyis moved out of contact with the bent portionof the flexible display panel, the intermediate rod bodycan be contact with the bent portionof the flexible display panelto support the bent portion; in the process of switching from the nonsupport state to the support state, the intermediate rod bodyis firstly contact with the bent portionof the flexible display panel, the flexible display panelis gradually unfolded, and the long rod bodyis contacted with the bent portionof the flexible display panelafter the flexible display panelis completely unfolded. In this way, in the process of switching the state, the intermediate rod bodymay play a transition role to prevent a large sudden change in the supporting force applied to the bent portionof the flexible display panel, which is beneficial to increasing the service life of the flexible display panel.

12124 12122 12123 12124 12124 12122 12124 12122 12124 12122 12123 12124 12124 12122 12124 12122 12123 4 FIG. In an embodiment, a plurality of intermediate rod bodiesare disposed between the long rod bodyand the short rod body, wherein for any two adjacent of the intermediate rod bodies, the length of the intermediate rod bodyrelatively close to the long rod bodyis larger than the length of the intermediate rod bodyrelatively away from the long rod body. As shown in, two intermediate rod bodiesare disposed between the long rod bodyand the short rod bodyadjacent to each other; and for two intermediate rod bodies, the length of the intermediate rod bodyclosest to the long rod bodyis larger than a length of another intermediate rod body. That is, lengths of rod bodies from the long rod bodyto the short rod bodyare gradually decreased in the anticlockwise direction.

21 2 121 21 21 2 2 Here, a state between the support state and the nonsupport state is defined as an intermediate state. The above arrangement can provide a relatively good support to the bent portionof the flexible display panelin the intermediate state; a support condition of the support assemblyin the intermediate state matches a deformation situation of the bent portion; and in this way, a support force applied to the bent portionof the flexible display panelcan be transited smoothly, which is beneficial to increasing the service life of the flexible display panel.

12124 12122 12123 12124 It can be understood that one, three, four or more intermediate rod bodycan be disposed between the long rod bodyand the short rod bodyadjacent to each other and the number of the intermediate rod bodyis not limited in embodiments of the present application.

12122 12124 In an embodiment, the length of the long rod bodyor the intermediate rod bodysatisfies the following relationship:

1 N 12123 12122 12124 12122 12124 in which Lis the length of the short rod body, N is a anticlockwise sequence number of the long rod bodyor the intermediate rod body, and Lis the length of the long rod bodyor the intermediate rod body.

5 FIG. 12123 12124 12124 12122 1 1 1 1 Specifically, in an example of, a sequence number of the short rob bodyis 1 and the length thereof is L; a sequence number of the first intermediate rod bodyis 2 and the length thereof is √{square root over (2)}L; a sequence number of the second intermediate rod bodyis 3 and the length thereof is √{square root over (3)}L; and a sequence number of the long rod bodyis 4 and the length thereof is 2L.

12122 12124 12123 12122 12123 121 21 21 2 As such, the lengths of the long rod body, the intermediate rod body, and the short rod bodycan be reasonably set, so that lengths of the rod bodies from the long rod bodyto the short rod bodycan be transited reasonably, and therefore the support condition of the support assemblyin the intermediate state matches the deformation condition of the bent portion. In this way, the supporting force applied to the bent portionof the flexible display panelcan be transited smoothly, which is beneficial to increasing the service life of the flexible display panel.

12122 12124 12123 In an embodiment, for the long rod body, the intermediate rod body, and the short rod body, an angle between any two adjacent rod bodies satisfies the following relationship:

2 n 12122 12124 12122 12122 in which θis an angle between the long rod bodyand the intermediate rod bodyadjacent to the long rod body; θis an angle between two adjacent rod bodies; n is a clockwise sequence number of the body rod away from the long rod bodyin two adjacent rod bodies.

5 FIG. 12122 12124 12124 12123 12124 12124 12123 12124 3 4 Specifically, in an example of, in the clockwise direction, a sequence number of the long rod bodyis 1, a sequence number of the first intermediate rod bodyis 2, a sequence number of the second intermediate rod bodyis 3, and a sequence number of the short rod bodyis 4. An angle between the first intermediate rod bodyand the second intermediate rod bodyis θand an angle between the short rod bodyand the second intermediate rod bodyis θ.

12122 12124 12123 121 21 21 2 2 As such, the angles among the long rod body, the intermediate rod body, the short rod bodycan be arranged reasonably, so that the angle between two adjacent rod bodies matches the length of two adjacent rod bodies, and therefore the supporting condition of the support assemblyin the intermediate state matches the deformation condition of the bent portion. In this way, the supporting force applied to the bent portionof the flexible display panelcan be transited smoothly, which is beneficial to increasing the service life of the flexible display panel.

4 FIG. 121 1213 12122 12124 12123 1213 1213 1212 In an embodiment, with reference to, the support assemblyfurther comprises a reinforcement piece. For the long rod body, the intermediate rod body, and the short rod body, the reinforcement pieceis disposed between two adjacent rod bodies. The reinforcement piececan connects two adjacent rod bodies and improve assembly stability of the rod body, thereby improving the structural strength and assembly stability of the support piece.

121 1213 1213 12121 1213 1213 1213 In an embodiment, the support assemblycomprises a plurality of reinforcement pieces, the plurality of reinforcement piecesare evenly arranged around the shaft body, one reinforcement pieceare disposed between any two adjacent rod bodies, the shape of each reinforcement pieceis similar to an arc shape, and all reinforcement piecesare assembled to form a structure similar to an ellipse shape.

4 FIG. 1212 12125 12125 12122 12121 12123 12121 12124 12121 12125 2 2 In an embodiment, referring to, the support piecefurther comprises pulleys. The pulleysare disposed at an end portion of the long rod bodyaway from the shaft body, an end portion of the short rod bodyaway from the shaft body, and an end portion of the intermediate rod bodyaway from the shaft body. The pulleyscan reduce the friction force between the rod body and the flexible display paneland avoid damage of the flexible display panel resulting from directly contact between the rod body and the flexible display panel.

5 FIG. 1212 12125 12125 12122 12125 12123 1 2 As shown in, it should be understood that when the support piececomprises the pulleys, the first outer diameter Dis equal to a maximal distance between sides of two pulleysaway from each other on the long rod bodies, and the second outer diameter Dis equal to a maximal distance between sides of two pulleysaway from each other on the short rod bodies.

2 FIG. 122 1221 1221 112 113 1221 121 1221 11 121 11 1221 1221 121 121 12 In an embodiment, referring to, the drive assemblycomprises a draw cord, one end of the draw cordis connected to the second portionor the third portion, another end of the draw cordis connected to the support assembly, and the draw cordcan respond to the unfolding motion of the housingto drive the support assemblyto switch to the support state. As such, when the housingis unfolded, a draw force unfolding the housing is acted on the draw cord, the draw corddraws the support assemblyto rotate, and the support assemblyswitches from the nonsupport state to the support state. The above arrangement can decrease the structural complexity of the support mechanism, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and assembly difficulty.

6 FIG. 121 1221 121 1221 1221 1221 121 121 Referring to, it should be noted that when the support assemblyis in the support state, the length of the draw cordis a+b; and when the support assemblyis in the nonsupport state, the length of the draw cordis c. In the process of switching from the nonsupport state to the support state, the draw cordis drew and lengthened, and the draw cordexerts an force on the support assembly, thereby driving the support assemblyto rotate.

1221 121 12122 1212 In an embodiment, one end of the draw cordclose to the support assemblyis connected to the rod body (e.g., the long rod body) of the support piece.

122 1221 1221 112 1221 1212 1221 113 1221 121 In an embodiment, the drive assemblycomprises two draw cords, an end of one of two draw cordsis connected to the second portion, and another end of such draw cordis connected to the support piece; an end of the other draw cordis connected to the third portion, and another end of the other draw cordis connected to the support piece.

2 FIG. 122 1222 111 1221 1222 1222 1221 1221 1212 1212 1222 1222 In an embodiment, referring to, the drive assemblyfurther comprises a guide wheel, the guide wheel is disposed on the first portion, and the draw cordis tensely disposed on the guide wheel. The guide wheelcan guide the draw cordand facilitate that the draw corddraws the support assembly, thereby driving the support pieceto rotate. It can be understood that a number of the guide wheelcan be multiple, the number of the guide wheelis not limited in embodiments of the present application.

7 FIG. 122 1223 11 121 1221 121 1223 1223 121 121 21 2 In an embodiment, referring to, the drive assemblycomprises an elastic pieceand responds to the folding motion of the housing, thereby driving the support assemblyto switch to the nonsupport state. It can be understood that in a process of switching from the unfolded state to the folded state, the draw cordis in a relax state; the support assemblycannot autonomously switch the state; by disposing the elastic piece, the resiliency of the elastic piececan reset the support assemblyfrom the support state to the nonsupport state, which facilitates that the support assemblysupports the bent portionof the flexible display panelin the next unfolding.

1223 121 111 12231 121 12232 111 121 121 7 FIG. In an embodiment, the elastic pieceis a torsion spring, one end of the torsion spring is connected to the support assembly, and another end of the torsion spring is connected to the first portion. As shown in, that is, a first endof the torsion spring is connected to the support assemblyand a second endof the torsion spring is connected to the first portion. It should be noted that when the support assemblyis in the support state, the torsion spring is in a compressed state; and when the support assemblyis in the nonsupport state, the torsion spring is in an original state.

1223 12 As such, the elastic piececan have a simple structure, the structural difficulty of the support mechanismcan be decreased, and the manufacturing cost and the assembly difficulty can be reduced.

2 FIG. 1 13 13 12 11 13 12 12 13 121 In an embodiment, referring to, the flexible display panel support apparatusfurther comprises an elastic film layer; and the elastic film layeris wrapped on a side of the support mechanismaway from the housing. On the one hand, the elastic film layercan warp the support mechanismto enclose and protect the support mechanism; and on the other hand, the elastic film layermay perform adaptive deformation and the motion of the support assemblyis not blocked.

13 In an example, the material of the elastic film layercan include rubber.

8 FIG. 1 12 12 11 11 121 2 21 2 In an example, referring to, the flexible display panel support apparatuscomprises a plurality of support mechanism; and the plurality of support mechanismare arranged at intervals along a width direction of the housing(parallel to the plane where the housingis located). As such, the support assemblymay have a better support effect of the flexible display panel, which is beneficial to reducing the sinking problem of the bent portionof the flexible display panel.

9 FIG. 10 In a second aspect, as shown in, embodiments of the present application provide a display apparatus, which may be a notebook computer, a mobile phone, a wireless device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handhold or portable computer, GPS receiver/navigator, a camera, a MP4 video player, a camcorder, a game controller, a watch, a clock, a calculator, a television monitor, a tablet display, a computer monitor, an automotive display (e.g., an odometer display), a navigation equipment, a cockpit control and/or display, a display of a camera view (e.g., a display of a rear view camera in a vehicle), an electronic photograph, an electronic billboard or sign, a projector, and a packaging.

10 2 1 2 12 11 2 21 121 21 111 2 22 23 21 22 23 Specifically, the display apparatuscomprises the flexible display paneland the above flexible display panel support apparatus; the flexible display panelis disposed at one side of the support mechanismaway from the housing; the flexible display panelcomprises the bent portion; and the support assemblyis disposed between the bent portionand the first portion. Furthermore, the flexible display panelfurther comprises a first straight portionand a second straight portionand the bent portionis connected to the first straight portionand the second straight portion.

10 12 11 12 121 122 11 122 121 11 21 2 21 11 122 121 11 21 121 21 21 10 21 21 2 The display apparatusprovided in embodiments of the present application is provided with the support mechanismdisposed at the internal folding side of the foldable housing; and the support mechanismcomprises the support assemblyand the drive assembly. When the housingis unfolded, the drive assemblyis configured to drive the support assemblyto switch to the support state in response to the unfolding motion of the housing, thereby supporting the bent portionof the flexible display paneland preventing the bent portionfrom sinking. When the housingis folded, the drive assemblyis configured to drive the support assemblyto switch to the nonsupport state in response to the folding motion of the housing, thereby facilitating deformation of the bent portion, preventing the support assemblyfrom interfering with the deformation of the bent portionto damage the bent portion. In summary, the display apparatusprovided in the present application can avoid sinking of the bent portion, improve the display effect, reduce the interference with the deformation of the bent portion, and increase service life of the flexible display panel.

10 FIG. 10 3 11 3 In an embodiment, as shown in, the display apparatusfurther comprises a framesurrounding the housing. It should be noted that the material of the framemay be metal.

The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way, and in order to make the description clear, not all the possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction among the combinations of these technical features, they should be considered as the scope that the specification recites.

Embodiments described above represent only a few implementations of the present application and description thereof is relatively specific and detailed, but are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art could also make several changes and modifications without departing from the concept of the present application, which falls within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.